I really don't get it. Most of the time the gfx are sub-par, to be anything other than cannon fodder you must invest (sometimes heavily) into items from the cash shop, and they tend to be uber grinds. Whereas in P2P games, you pay a subscription, and you play the game.
Am I alone in my thinking?
Discuss.
It depends what and who's F2P you are taking about.
Specifically addressing - "what is the allure of F2P"
Obviously - it is free and the microtransactions are optional.
You log in, no cost, and play the game. Any out of pocket is totally discressionary.
vs
P2P
The required purchasing of a box or direct download
Then pay a manditory monthly fee
All of that upfront cost just to log in and in many cases, find out the game is a pile of sh*t.
It doesn't take a accountant to figure that one out.
The market is changing and has been for a long time. LotR announced they were switching to F2P two years ago. DDO went from one of the worse MMO's to one of the most popular & played by simply changing their business model. Again, it doesn't take a masters in marketing to figureout what to do next.
P2PDDO went from one of the worse MMO's to one of the most popular & played by simply changing their business model.
This tells a lot. DDO today is the same it was yeasterday. One of the worse mmo, like you say. Sure f2p brought more peoples but didn't really change the game making it better. It's still the same shitty game.
P2PDDO went from one of the worse MMO's to one of the most popular & played by simply changing their business model.
This tells a lot. DDO today is the same it was yeasterday. One of the worse mmo, like you say. Sure f2p brought more peoples but didn't really change the game making it better. It's still the same shitty game.
That is why it exactly illistrates my point as it relates to the OP's question
Everyone is busy. WE all set priorities. MMORPGs are not a priority for you when it comes to entertainment. Perhaps you are surfing porn, reading the newspaper, watching TV, talking with your sister on the phone, or watching the lint accumulate in your belly button.
You're not to "busy" to play an MMORPG, you're simply doing those things instead, because you're having more fun doing that than playing the game.
If that's the case, I agree, you definitely shouldn't be subbed to an MMORPG, because it's not worth it.
I suppose you could play an MMORPG like an hour a month or something, but I think that would be exceedingly odd for this game genre.
You wouldnt' remember where you were in the game, what quest you were working on, you couldn't keep up with any casual friends, guild members.
It just seems like most people wouldnt' get much enjoyment from playing an MMORPG this way, since it takes a bit of time to get into the game world.
My one night of real play is Monday, when I play from work. (Mondays I am just babysitting a D&D group in a game shop, and they really don't need my attention, so it works.)
I am the mom in our family. I am the taxi, the housekeeper, the cook, the nurse, and the one who has to endure cheerleading practice, before you count working at a job-job and working at the game shop. I don't even get to watch TV unless I am folding clothes too. I played games and did this Net thing for 3 hours last night before bed time. That's total, game time, email, Facebook, everything, and that was a GOOD night. By contrast, my husband played his game for 12 hours yesterday. There's busy and then there's BUSY. I am still trying to schedule in time to watch my belly-button-lint-watching... Maybe during my daughter's cheerleading practice! That's the ticket.
I am totally willing to admit that it isn't worth subscribing to the games I've been paying for, not because I don't have the time, but because they are just not very much fun. Honestly, I've had more fun playing Allods than WoW since I last paid for WoW, since I have managed to catch up with people I know IRL in Allods and can't seem to be on at the same time as my WoW friends. And I've been playing quite a lot on a Server That Shall Not Be Mentioned and finding that a lot more fun (with a much better community) than it's legitimate parent game. My question is why anyone would be willing to pay for those games.
It's true that I often don't remember where I was or what I was doing. Quest log to the rescue. I do lose a lot of momentum in working on goals though, for sure. Luckily, I am an exploration and socialization kind of player, and not very goal-oriented, so I am not losing much there. MMOs aren't just for achievement players, despite the masses of min-maxers out there.
It's either this or Farmville to wind down, and Farmville just doesn't involve enough skullbashing.
- for new players, it's a more populated starter area
- for players who play very casually, there's no fee to keep the account for the months they didn't play
- for those who were away for a while, it is easy to jump right back in. No fee, no reactivation
- for those who want to spend a bit extra on their entertainment, they have the option to do so
- people looking to adventure with others are more likely to find others to travel with
- F2P are more often treated like a service by the devs where as P2P MMOs seem to be treated like a product by the developers.
- it is free
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
It allows me to play more than one mmo,Somedays i feel like playing a space mmo,sometimes i feel like playing a superhero mmo,sometimes i feel playing fantasy mmo.I could sign up for one month those games then stop but a game being free me chance to I have never delete because i can always go back and play it.
Tor is coming out,Tera is coming out,Warhammer is coming out,The Secret world is coming out,Earthrise coming out,Final fantasy is comming out.I am pretty sure they are many of you guys playing WoW,Aoc,Darkfall,Lotor,etc. like myself.I won't be able to play good game because i can't afford the monthly fee for all them.You don't have to make that choice with a free to play game.I might find a game like better than Guild wars 2 but i will always be a GW2 player,I might find a game i like better than Lotor but i will always be Lotor player.The second i feel like playing them again i can because they are free.
more player!its that simple!usa hasnt caught that but lot of other market in the world use more f2p then p2p
for them its normal.when we ask them why they play f2p they stare at us like we re simpleton!
Never have i encounterd the P2P scenario of "once i hit level XX the game became a huge grindfest"
Never have i asked in a P2P "Whats the point of this is there even a storyline to this game?"
More people isnt a good thing.
Your right however, most of the world prefers F2P.... I get it, i get why (although its my belief that if $15 a month is out of budget you shount NOT be wasting time on a mmorpg, you should be earning money) someplayers are too young for credit cards, some part of the world obtaining a credit card it a huge pain in the ass, some players are far too casual on amonthly bases (why pay for a month if your going to spend 2 weekends a month playing it) Finally theres the player with "parental monies" with no limit, the workaholic with an unlimited budget ( the "i dont have the time to grind for items/in game money/equipment" so he buys it with real money though any means) Finally ( i always meet at least one in a f2p game) the person who is on government money and wants everything for free so that they can enjoy a somewhat luxurious life, on others hard work, without lifitng a finger.
Bottom line, for a large part of the world where p2p isnt a financial possiblility, i get it.
However NA/EU p2p is more populair. It not only keeps the f2p "barbarians" at bay (sorry for the negative reference, but its the truth) but you also get a game where the focus is more on lore,storyline,complexity over cool effects (err what else to f2p offer aside from gimmicks and effects?)
There are those of us that would gladly pay MORE than a p2p usually charges to gurantee that the game is filled with like people (by language ect).....id rather play a game with people that work for a living, speak fluent english, and is above the age of 18 (preferably over the age of 21).
If P2P games where not better quality, you would not have so many people paying to play them, its a simple as that. Better communities and better games, and they are runa nd updated better (yeah yeah i know your all going to jump in a say wow had a terrible community as a counter example....compared to any f2p game of some what similair size it had a far better community....and about 50000 times less gold farmer spam and obvious botting)
As long as there is a choice, it is a good thing for everyone.
Choice, people play f2p games because it gives them a choice on if they want to shell out the money to get something. P2P just makes you shell out 15 a month and now it seems they are adding their own item malls into the mix ontop of that 15 a month which I believe is outrageous, you can't have both. One or the other, not both. Either you be p2p or f2p with an item mall.
What is the allure of p2p games? Can someone answer that..
I won't play a game that I have to pay up front for. Yeah, I'm gonna play $30 - $70 for a game then find out it's complete crap and can't get my money back?
Games are for entertainment. I'm gonna choose the value I place on that entertainment by the amount I spend in the Cash Shop.
Turbine has really gotten my attention with the new hybrid model in games. DDo is great - I can play when I want, I don't lose the stuff I've paid for (adventure packs), and I can play it or ignore it whenever I want. I can't wait until LOTRO goes F2p. Been wanting to give it a try, but not enough to pay the upfront costs to find out it isn't for me.
Game cost doesn't determine game quality. Game cost doesn't determine community quality (look at WoW).
It's more than just the fact of being FREE. You can play whenever you want, you can take as long as you want to run through content, you are not being "rushed" because of a monthly sub and wanting to get the most out of your money. You can stop playing and come back whenever you want, without having to pay a monthly fee again. You are not forced to pay anything, you can play for as long as you want for Free. It's false to assume that every game forces you to buy from the Cash Shop, and in the case where Cash Shop can be seen as necessary, some games now even allow Non Cash Shop users to buy these Cash Shop items from other players using in-game currency, so that everyone has access to the same amount of content.
One thing I've noticed in F2Ps, is that I've hardly ever seen players ask for the grind to be reduced. It's really interesting. It's almost exclusive to the P2P games (even though most F2Ps have a much more awful grind), and I believe that's exactly because casuals wants to get the most out of their money. In P2Ps, the constant need to resub despite your inability to play for a long period of time is a major turn off and forces the player to want to reach the end-game as soon as possible since that's where the "fun" is, so that they can finally get as much as possible out of their monthly sub.
This is why I believe Turbine will do so great with LotrO. The Hybrid model takes the pros of the P2P model and the pros of the F2P model. The Hybrid appeals to both Hardcore and Casuals. Hardcore gets to use the Monthly Sub and gain access to the whole game without restrictions. Casuals gets to buy Zones permanently, allowing them to take as long as they want to run through the content. The pressure of wanting to get the most out of your money is near non-existant, since you bought the zone permanently. It won't go away if you stop playing, you won't have to pay a monthly sub to gain access to it again, you bought it, now take your time and have fun.
Comments
It depends what and who's F2P you are taking about.
Specifically addressing - "what is the allure of F2P"
Obviously - it is free and the microtransactions are optional.
You log in, no cost, and play the game. Any out of pocket is totally discressionary.
vs
P2P
The required purchasing of a box or direct download
Then pay a manditory monthly fee
All of that upfront cost just to log in and in many cases, find out the game is a pile of sh*t.
It doesn't take a accountant to figure that one out.
The market is changing and has been for a long time. LotR announced they were switching to F2P two years ago. DDO went from one of the worse MMO's to one of the most popular & played by simply changing their business model. Again, it doesn't take a masters in marketing to figureout what to do next.
This tells a lot. DDO today is the same it was yeasterday. One of the worse mmo, like you say. Sure f2p brought more peoples but didn't really change the game making it better. It's still the same shitty game.
That is why it exactly illistrates my point as it relates to the OP's question
My one night of real play is Monday, when I play from work. (Mondays I am just babysitting a D&D group in a game shop, and they really don't need my attention, so it works.)
I am the mom in our family. I am the taxi, the housekeeper, the cook, the nurse, and the one who has to endure cheerleading practice, before you count working at a job-job and working at the game shop. I don't even get to watch TV unless I am folding clothes too. I played games and did this Net thing for 3 hours last night before bed time. That's total, game time, email, Facebook, everything, and that was a GOOD night. By contrast, my husband played his game for 12 hours yesterday. There's busy and then there's BUSY. I am still trying to schedule in time to watch my belly-button-lint-watching... Maybe during my daughter's cheerleading practice! That's the ticket.
I am totally willing to admit that it isn't worth subscribing to the games I've been paying for, not because I don't have the time, but because they are just not very much fun. Honestly, I've had more fun playing Allods than WoW since I last paid for WoW, since I have managed to catch up with people I know IRL in Allods and can't seem to be on at the same time as my WoW friends. And I've been playing quite a lot on a Server That Shall Not Be Mentioned and finding that a lot more fun (with a much better community) than it's legitimate parent game. My question is why anyone would be willing to pay for those games.
It's true that I often don't remember where I was or what I was doing. Quest log to the rescue. I do lose a lot of momentum in working on goals though, for sure. Luckily, I am an exploration and socialization kind of player, and not very goal-oriented, so I am not losing much there. MMOs aren't just for achievement players, despite the masses of min-maxers out there.
It's either this or Farmville to wind down, and Farmville just doesn't involve enough skullbashing.
more player!its that simple!usa hasnt caught that but lot of other market in the world use more f2p then p2p
for them its normal.when we ask them why they play f2p they stare at us like we re simpleton!
- for new players, it's a more populated starter area
- for players who play very casually, there's no fee to keep the account for the months they didn't play
- for those who were away for a while, it is easy to jump right back in. No fee, no reactivation
- for those who want to spend a bit extra on their entertainment, they have the option to do so
- people looking to adventure with others are more likely to find others to travel with
- F2P are more often treated like a service by the devs where as P2P MMOs seem to be treated like a product by the developers.
- it is free
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
It allows me to play more than one mmo,Somedays i feel like playing a space mmo,sometimes i feel like playing a superhero mmo,sometimes i feel playing fantasy mmo.I could sign up for one month those games then stop but a game being free me chance to I have never delete because i can always go back and play it.
Tor is coming out,Tera is coming out,Warhammer is coming out,The Secret world is coming out,Earthrise coming out,Final fantasy is comming out.I am pretty sure they are many of you guys playing WoW,Aoc,Darkfall,Lotor,etc. like myself.I won't be able to play good game because i can't afford the monthly fee for all them.You don't have to make that choice with a free to play game.I might find a game like better than Guild wars 2 but i will always be a GW2 player,I might find a game i like better than Lotor but i will always be Lotor player.The second i feel like playing them again i can because they are free.
when is lotro going hybrid(using both f2p and p2p)
Never have i encounterd the P2P scenario of "once i hit level XX the game became a huge grindfest"
Never have i asked in a P2P "Whats the point of this is there even a storyline to this game?"
More people isnt a good thing.
Your right however, most of the world prefers F2P.... I get it, i get why (although its my belief that if $15 a month is out of budget you shount NOT be wasting time on a mmorpg, you should be earning money) someplayers are too young for credit cards, some part of the world obtaining a credit card it a huge pain in the ass, some players are far too casual on amonthly bases (why pay for a month if your going to spend 2 weekends a month playing it) Finally theres the player with "parental monies" with no limit, the workaholic with an unlimited budget ( the "i dont have the time to grind for items/in game money/equipment" so he buys it with real money though any means) Finally ( i always meet at least one in a f2p game) the person who is on government money and wants everything for free so that they can enjoy a somewhat luxurious life, on others hard work, without lifitng a finger.
Bottom line, for a large part of the world where p2p isnt a financial possiblility, i get it.
However NA/EU p2p is more populair. It not only keeps the f2p "barbarians" at bay (sorry for the negative reference, but its the truth) but you also get a game where the focus is more on lore,storyline,complexity over cool effects (err what else to f2p offer aside from gimmicks and effects?)
There are those of us that would gladly pay MORE than a p2p usually charges to gurantee that the game is filled with like people (by language ect).....id rather play a game with people that work for a living, speak fluent english, and is above the age of 18 (preferably over the age of 21).
If P2P games where not better quality, you would not have so many people paying to play them, its a simple as that. Better communities and better games, and they are runa nd updated better (yeah yeah i know your all going to jump in a say wow had a terrible community as a counter example....compared to any f2p game of some what similair size it had a far better community....and about 50000 times less gold farmer spam and obvious botting)
As long as there is a choice, it is a good thing for everyone.
The answer is simple, it's free access.
I don't have $15 to spend monthly to give me access to a game.
Whether I play a lot or play little I still have to pay out $15.
At least with F2P I have the choice to spend nothing at all or pay up for the cash mall.
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/RZetlin
Choice, people play f2p games because it gives them a choice on if they want to shell out the money to get something. P2P just makes you shell out 15 a month and now it seems they are adding their own item malls into the mix ontop of that 15 a month which I believe is outrageous, you can't have both. One or the other, not both. Either you be p2p or f2p with an item mall.
What is the allure of p2p games? Can someone answer that..
I won't play a game that I have to pay up front for. Yeah, I'm gonna play $30 - $70 for a game then find out it's complete crap and can't get my money back?
Games are for entertainment. I'm gonna choose the value I place on that entertainment by the amount I spend in the Cash Shop.
Turbine has really gotten my attention with the new hybrid model in games. DDo is great - I can play when I want, I don't lose the stuff I've paid for (adventure packs), and I can play it or ignore it whenever I want. I can't wait until LOTRO goes F2p. Been wanting to give it a try, but not enough to pay the upfront costs to find out it isn't for me.
Game cost doesn't determine game quality. Game cost doesn't determine community quality (look at WoW).
Also f2p and p2p don't determine the gfx either look at Aika Online....
It's more than just the fact of being FREE. You can play whenever you want, you can take as long as you want to run through content, you are not being "rushed" because of a monthly sub and wanting to get the most out of your money. You can stop playing and come back whenever you want, without having to pay a monthly fee again. You are not forced to pay anything, you can play for as long as you want for Free. It's false to assume that every game forces you to buy from the Cash Shop, and in the case where Cash Shop can be seen as necessary, some games now even allow Non Cash Shop users to buy these Cash Shop items from other players using in-game currency, so that everyone has access to the same amount of content.
One thing I've noticed in F2Ps, is that I've hardly ever seen players ask for the grind to be reduced. It's really interesting. It's almost exclusive to the P2P games (even though most F2Ps have a much more awful grind), and I believe that's exactly because casuals wants to get the most out of their money. In P2Ps, the constant need to resub despite your inability to play for a long period of time is a major turn off and forces the player to want to reach the end-game as soon as possible since that's where the "fun" is, so that they can finally get as much as possible out of their monthly sub.
This is why I believe Turbine will do so great with LotrO. The Hybrid model takes the pros of the P2P model and the pros of the F2P model. The Hybrid appeals to both Hardcore and Casuals. Hardcore gets to use the Monthly Sub and gain access to the whole game without restrictions. Casuals gets to buy Zones permanently, allowing them to take as long as they want to run through the content. The pressure of wanting to get the most out of your money is near non-existant, since you bought the zone permanently. It won't go away if you stop playing, you won't have to pay a monthly sub to gain access to it again, you bought it, now take your time and have fun.